I'm On a Cleanse
by Adorkablenerd21
Summary: Red goes on a cleanse, but runs into an obstacle when she finds herself attracted to Belle.
1. Chapter 1

Belle French pushed the door of the library open, smiling as she saw the shelves of books. She breathed in the smell and closed her eyes, glad that she was the library's caretaker now. She had Rumpel to thank for that, but they were still on slightly bad terms. She asked for distance, and Rumpel was giving it to her. She needed to figure things out and understand what she wanted, and she was starting to think that what was between her and Rumpel wasn't going to last. Not if he wasn't willing to work hard to change.

She needed someone who would let her be herself, and be proud of her for it. For the time being, she decided she needed to be alone, because she didn't have time for a relationship anyway. If she was being totally honest with herself, she felt too inexperienced at the whole love thing to even really know what it was. With Rumpel, it was something that made her feel safe, and wanted. It felt good, even though looking back, she wondered if all it was was a terrible case of Stockholm's Syndrome. Belle sighed and placed the keys on the counter, going over the stack of books that were returns from yesterday.

Not many people visited the library, not since the curse broke. Most of the townspeople were more concerned with how to get back to their world than reading books from this one. Belle couldn't blame them. She was homesick as well. She missed her castle, her room, and the peach tree orchard that she spent many days in as a child. She remembered the smell of the peaches, sweet and inviting, and if she closed her eyes tight enough, she could see the birds nesting in the trees. She could hear the chirping of the birds, and feel the grass underneath her feet—

The door to the library opened, and Belle snapped out of her reverie. She looked up from the stack of books to see Red Riding Hood awkwardly stepping up to the circulation desk.

"Hey, Belle. How are things?"

Belle stepped back, indignant. She was usually a soft-spoken person and didn't let her emotions get the better of her, but seeing Red act so casual was a little insulting.

"Oh, are you here to handcuff me to something again?" Belle didn't bother to keep the anger out of her voice.

Red shuffled her feet, staring at the dust she kicked up as she did so. "Yeah, about that…I'm sorry I forgot to come back for you—after my wolf's time."

Belle rolled her eyes. "So you're not sorry about actually locking me up in the first place? Well, thanks for the apology, but I don't accept it. I spent 28 years locked up. I didn't think you of all people would do that to me."

Red looked up, frowning. "I was freaking out, okay? I thought for sure I'd hurt you if you weren't in a safe place. But I guess I wasn't thinking about your past, and I'm sorry for that."

"You don't even know me, Red. I don't know you too well either, but I see the good in you. You are not a monster."

"Yeah, you have a knack for seeing the good in people, don't you? Even someone like Rumpelstiltskin." Red bit her lip, trying not to grimace as she said his name.

Belle nodded, walking out from behind the counter with the returned books in her hand. She started to reshelve the books, talking as she did so. "Yes, well, he and I aren't seeing each other right now."

"Oh, really? Why?"

Belle reshelved _The Hunger Games_, surprised that the library even carried that best seller. Storybrooke was more connected to the outside world than she thought, apparently.

"I decided I needed some space, to figure out if I even want to be with him. I thought he was more willing to change than he is."

Red nodded. "I know what you mean. If someone wants to change, they have to do it for the right reasons. For themselves, because they want to." Red suddenly felt an awkward sensation in the pit of her abdomen, almost similar to….jealousy? No, that couldn't be right. She was on a cleanse, anyway, to purify herself. Apparently, when she was Ruby, she was kind of a slut. She knew of five guys in town that remembered sleeping with her, which made for awkward conversations whenever she passed them on the street, or in the diner. She didn't need to complicate things by suddenly finding herself attracted to this innocent naïve girl who had probably never even kissed anyone. Well, anyone who wasn't old enough to be her grandfather. Red grimaced and stepped back from the shelf.

"Well, I guess that's all I came here for, to apologize…I hope you can forgive me sometime soon. I better be getting back to the diner though, the breakfast rush is probably starting right now." Red backed into the door, wincing as the metal bar dug into her back. She gave Belle what she hoped was a warm smile and rushed out into the sunshine, not liking what she was feeling at the moment.

Belle found Red's quick exit a little off-putting, but she decided maybe it was just an after effect of her wolf's time or something. She honestly didn't know much about the side effects of being a were-wolf, or a child of the moon, as Red's grandmother called it. Struck by a sudden curiosity, she made her way over to the reference section, looking in the encyclopedias. She opened the book T-W and opened it, looking for anything she could find about werewolves.

She found out that hypertrichosis was called the 'werewolf syndrome' because of excessive hair growth. Belle shook her head. Red certainly didn't have that problem. Belle was sure she didn't have a single hair on her long slender legs. Belle shut the book, coughing in the cloud of dust that arose. The interesting thing was, Red was still a mystery to her. All she really knew about her was that she was quite popular and friendly…and that she was a werewolf.

Belle re-shelved all the books, then walked over to the children's section. For some reason, she really liked to read those. Not that she didn't like classic stories too, but recently, children's stories seemed to be the break from reality that Belle needed. She mulled over the books, wondering what to pick, when something caught her eye. _Little Red Riding Hood_ was the title, staring her in the face. Frowning, she picked it up and opened the first page. She read it, amazed at how whoever did got pretty much all the facts wrong. She laughed and re-shelved the book, walking back to the main room of the library.

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"Ruby, get these orders done. I have to go to the pharmacy to pick up some ibuprofen." Granny huffed and wiped some sweat off of her brow. "You can remember these, right?"

"I'm offended, Granny. I can write stuff down, you know?" Red smiled. "Don't worry, I got it." Red looked over the counter, smiling at seeing Regina, Henry and Emma miraculously sitting in the same booth. Granted, Regina looked like she would rather be chewing nails, but at least Henry could get his two moms to be together in the same room, and share a meal. Red smirked to herself. It sounded so gay in her head, she wondered what it would sound like if she actually said it out loud. She called the orders—A burger for Emma, a salad for Regina, and an ice cream for Henry—all to the cook in the back, then waited. She couldn't help but notice Belle enter the diner, and gave her a smile, even though what she really wanted to do was groan.

She was happy to see Belle, of course. But the…thoughts she had entertained yesterday, when she went over to apologize for handcuffing Belle were disconcerting. And why on earth had she handcuffed her in the first place? _Talk about kinky_. Red shook her head. Now was not the time for Ruby to make an appearance, she was on a cleanse, for Christ's sake. She cleared her throat and tried her hardest to look into Belle's (beautiful, amazing, breathtaking) eyes and not swoon like a freaking teenager.

"Hey, Belle, how's it going?" Red bent down to write a fake order on her pad, just so she didn't have to look at Belle for too long.

"Fine, thank you for asking." Belle sat at the counter, and Red caught a whiff of the body spray she was wearing—vanilla woods, if she wasn't mistaken. Damn her oversensitive olfactory nerves. Now she would be addicted to that scent. "Can I have a macaroni cheese plate with a cherry coke?"

Red nodded. "Yeah, that'll be ready in 15 minutes." Red wrote down the order and disappeared into the kitchen, picking up Emma's, Regina's and Henry's orders, thankful for the distraction.

"Okay, guys, here you go. Ice cream for Henry, burger for the sherriff, and a salad for the regal bitch." Red smirked evilly at Regina.

"Practice that one, did you?" Regina picked up her fork, glaring at Red.

"Yep, all night, in front of my mirror."

Regina ignored her and took a bite of her salad. "Ugh, this is dry."

"So put some ranch on it. I got to go, got some customers waiting." Red gave Emma a wink and went back to the counter, keeping herself busy with waitressing, and trying SO hard not to steal glances at Belle, who was kicking her feet back and forth from her stool like she was a five year old.

Finally Belle finished her meal and walked out of the diner, totally oblivious to how much pain she was inflicting on Red, who was distractedly working. It didn't escape everyone's notice however. Emma slinked over to the counter after Belle left, a knowing look on her face.

"Hey Ruby, is something up with you today?"

"No, why would you say that?"

"Um…well, I'm not blind; I saw how every ten seconds you had to peel your eyes off of Belle to actually get some work done." Emma smirked as Red rolled her eyes.

"I'm better off alone, Emma. I did a lot of stupid things before the curse broke, when I didn't remember who I was, and I don't want to go back down that path."

Emma sighed. "Fine, whatever you say. But I hardly think Belle is gonna be the kind of person who would ask you to do anything you didn't want to do." Emma dropped that unexpected pearl of wisdom, then got up and left, bickering with Regina like there was no tomorrow.

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Rumpelstiltskin was getting impatient. He had agreed to give Belle space, but that was getting old and Rumpel was not used to waiting around for things. No, if he wanted something, he took it. He was tired of waiting for Belle to make up her mind, and 'figure things out' as she put it. He knew that if he just showed up at the library, it would appear too desperate. He decided to employ the help of someone who owed him a favor anyway. Emma Swan. It was too easy, he would just ask her to befriend Belle and ask her to take him back. He had his plan already set, and was closing his shop up, even though it was the middle of the day. That was the nice thing about being his own boss. He hobbled down the street, making his way to the apartment that Emma now shared with her whole family, including Henry. He passed the diner on the way, casually looking in the window.

What he saw surprised him. Red and Belle were talking, quite intimately, from what he could tell. Red was leaning over the counter, then said something which made Belle burst into laughter. That got him to think, maybe he was taking the wrong tack, asking Emma to befriend her, when Belle already had a good friend in a certain waitress. He smirked and pushed the door open with his cane, nodding to Belle as he entered.

She was not too thrilled to see him. He took a booth on the far side of the diner, knowing that if he wanted Belle back, he'd have to play his cards right. Belle soon left, which was unsurprising.

Red walked up to the booth, pen and pad in hand. "What can I get for you?" She asked, not entirely unkindly.

"Can I have some of your best wine?" Rumpel smiled, which was rather creepy, to be honest.

Red raised her eyebrows at that eccentric request. "Sure, I'll get you some Chardonnay, I think we still have some in stock. Will that be all?"

"Actually, no, I think you can do something for me."

"No, I don't do that kind of stuff anymore…that was Ruby, and I'm on a cleanse…"

Rumpel laughed. "No, nothing like that, Miss Lucas. See, you seem to be quite—intimate friends with Belle, and I was wondering if you would be so kind as to put in a good word for me."

Red stuck her pen behind her ear and glared at Rumpel. "Well, I would, but I'm afraid there's no good words I could say about you without lying." Red breathed. Apparently she had a death wish. She knew Rumpelstiltskin was a powerful man—he had magic, and was prepared to use it, unlike Regina. Regina was a kitty cat compared to him.

"That was a very unwise thing to say, Miss Lucas." Rumpel tried to keep a cool expression on his face, but his eyes betrayed anger and contempt.

"Yeah, well, it was unwise for you to ask me to try to get Belle to come crawling back to you. Frankly, she deserves better than you. Your wine will be right out." Red stepped back from the table, resisting the urge to go all kung fu on that creepy prune's ass.


	2. Chapter 2

Belle was quite content to work at the library and spend her afternoons at Granny's, chatting with Red, and occasionally Snow White. She was oblivious to how much Red liked having her there; the only reason she went there was because it was the only decent diner in town, and it was convenient, being just a couple blocks from the library. Well, to be honest, everything in town was just a couple blocks away. But Belle still found Red to be charming, funny and popular, just as she expected. Red talked with her about all sorts of things, from music to what TV show she was hooked on at the moment. Red confessed that that would be one thing she would miss if she went back to the Enchanted Forest. Belle had to disagree, because the only thing she had really experienced in this world was 28 years of being locked in a metal box. TV hadn't exactly been at her disposal.

When Red heard that, her eyes got sad. "You poor thing. Okay, that's it. Tonight we're having a marathon of _Lost_. I have all the seasons on DVD, so get ready to stay up all night and check out the hot guys—or girls, if that's more your thing." Red bit her lip and hoped that Snow didn't hear what she said. Snow was currently sitting a couple stools down.

"Oh, that's very nice of you to offer, Red, thanks." Belle smiled, which immediately made Red's heart melt. "Count me in."

Snow piped up—apparently she had heard the entire conversation. "I'd love to come too, if that's okay with you, Red." Snow looked at the werewolf with a warning look, which Red ignored. She sighed and nodded, knowing exactly what Snow White was doing. She wanted to keep her out of trouble, and make sure she didn't flirt with Belle. Snow had nothing to worry about. The only thing between her and Belle was the gentle breeze of friendship.

So Red found her eyes amazingly bright and her smile drop-dead gorgeous. So what? That didn't matter—Ruby was—had been—attracted to lots of different people. It didn't mean anything, it just meant that she appreciated beauty. Following that logic, Red could appreciate Belle's beauty without acting on the attraction. She was a strong, independent woman. She could do it.

"Okay, Snow, sure. But do you really think James is going to like the fact that, instead of spending the night with him, you decide to have a girls' night? I mean, come on, you barely just got back." Ruby couldn't help snickering at this, and Belle gave a small smile. She admired how Red spoke her mind.

Snow waved her hand in dismissal. "He can do without me for one night. Besides, I think Emma is tired of hearing us in the middle of the night. I've probably scarred her for life, to be honest."

Red winced. "All right, fine. You can come." Snow beamed in appreciation, but Red didn't like this. It felt too much like she was a little kid and Snow felt like she had to keep her hand out of the cookie jar.

Belle soon left, leaving Snow and Red alone. Red tried desperately to look busy, but ended up just wiping the same place on the counter over and over again, lost in thought. Snow cleared her throat.

"Uh…Red, is there anything you want to tell me? You know, about Belle?"

Red shook her head, then stopped. "Actually, yeah. Rumpel came in here the other day and tried to get me to talk Belle into getting back together with him." Red scoffed.

"And what did you say?"

"What do you think I said? I told him hell no, and that she was way too good for him."

Snow nodded. "I see."

Red snapped her head back, looking at her friend in askance. "What? What do you see?"

Snow smiled. "You're in love with her."

Red's first reaction was to laugh, like it was no big deal, like Snow was the craziest person on the face of the earth. "Yeah, right. She's really not my type. Besides, I'm on a—"

"Yes, I know. You're on a cleanse, because the old you was the town's bicycle. Frankly, Red, I'm tired of you regretting that, when you know that person wasn't you. Not entirely. So just give it a rest and admit to yourself that you might actually have feelings…feelings for a certain librarian."

"That'll never happen."

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Belle arrived at Red's apartment at 8 pm that evening, 2 tubs of ice cream in tow. She was excited about girl's night, because she had never done anything like that. Spending time with girls, yes, of course. Back in the other land, she had lots of friends, but usually what they would do was talk about boys, and who they were going to marry, and how many children they would have. Not that that wasn't stimulating conversation, but…it got a little old. That was the interesting thing about this world; very few of the women were really concerned with getting pregnant, or in a huge rush to get married. Belle found that fascinating. It was just another thing to appreciate, even though she was terribly homesick.

She hoisted the tubs of ice cream up to her chest for better leverage and knocked on the door. There was the sound of footsteps and Red opened the door, her side swept hair complimenting the shape of her face. Belle couldn't help but wonder how Red managed to look so beautiful no matter what she was wearing, which was a red flannel shirt and some skinny jeans. The décor of her apartment could only be described as post-modern—the walls were a deep red, and the tiles in the kitchen were black and white checkered squares. Belle thought it was charming.

Snow was sitting on the couch, ready to veg out. She had on a pair of cheetah slippers and purple pajama pants. She patted a seat next to her on the couch, as an invitation for Belle to sit.

"So, you've never seen _Lost_ before, Belle? Is that right?" Snow tried to sound curious, and not like she was beginning an interrogation.

"Yes, I…haven't really watched much television…I was locked up."

"Why?"

"_Snow_." Red growled, deep and low, surprising even herself. "That is none of your business. You don't have to answer that, Belle."

Belle shifted on the couch cushion—she was suddenly getting sweaty. "No, it's okay. Regina locked me up in the other world, when I was leaving Rumpel's castle. She kept me a prisoner so she would have something to blackmail Rumpel with."

Snow's mouth had fallen open in shock, and pity. She felt like a total ass. "Belle, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"That's right, Snow, you shouldn't have." Red glared at her friend. "Belle's past is traumatic enough. She doesn't need to relive it."

"Can we just watch the show now?" Belle asked, hoping to relieve some of the awkwardness.

Belle tried hard to focus on the show, but her mind kept replaying what had happened. Snow seemed awfully curious about her past, and who she was. Almost like she was suspicious that she was hiding something. What was going on? Belle had no idea. All she knew was that Snow seemed to like Red very much, and wanted to protect her as much as possible. Maybe she was jealous of their newfound friendship. But there was no reason to be jealous; anyone could tell Snow and Red were the best of friends and had been long before either of them knew Belle.

So what was Snow White's problem?

Snow left at around 11:30, because Charming had left her quite a few texts, which got needier by the hour. She finally gave in and said she'd have to go. She gave Red a small smile, nodding her head towards Belle, who missed the looks the other two women shared.

Red sat on the couch next to Belle. "So, how'd you like the show?"

Belle turned towards her friend, unsure of how to tell her she hadn't exactly been paying much attention to the show. "It was good, I liked the plot…"

"You don't have to pretend you enjoyed it. I can tell something's up with you…what is it?"

Belle shrugged. "I…I just don't know why Snow White doesn't seem to like me very much. Did I do something to make her mad?"

"No, of course not. She's just—well, she's Snow. She's protective, sometimes a little too much." Red laid her head on the back of the beige cushion.

"But why—"

"Belle, there's something I need to tell you."

Belle immediately looked at Red's expression. "What? What's wrong?"

"Rumpel came into Granny's the other day and wanted me to get close to you, and to try to talk you into getting back with him. Of course, I said no, because in my opinion he's a douche bag, but I guess I just wanted to tell you that…"

"So that's why you wanted to be my friend? To keep me from him?" Belle said quietly, but there was a rage in her voice. How dare Red manipulate her?

"No, that's not-"

"You know, Red, I'm tired of people trying to protect me. I can protect myself, and I don't need you telling me who is good for me." Belle stood up, her fists balled in anger. She left without another word, leaving Red wondering why she even bothered.

That was a colossal disaster. Red planted her face in her hands and heaved a sigh, as if the whole world was on her shoulders.

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Granny decided to host a Christmas Eve party, to emphasize the unity of the townspeople, even though they were all homesick and had no way of going back home just yet. She wanted to show that even in hard times, there was hope. So, with Red's help, she decked the diner out in multi-colored lights, and holly with red bows everywhere (that was her granddaughter's doing). The only thing missing was mistletoe, and Granny sent Red out to the woods to find some. Neither of them knew that since magic was unpredictable in Storybrooke , what powers the mistletoe had.

That was a huge mistake, as they would come to find out.

Belle had been avoiding Red as much as possible. She didn't go to the diner at all in the week before Christmas, and if she was being totally honest with herself, she missed Red. But then she would remember how Red just befriended her to control her—then the nostalgia would lift a little.

She hadn't been planning on going to the party on Christmas Eve, but an unexpected thing happened. Rumpel showed up at the library on December 23.

"Hey," he said, as if what he was doing didn't seem a bit stalkerish.

"Hi, Rumpel," Belle said softly. "I thought we agreed—"

"I know, I was supposed to give you space. It's been 3 weeks, Belle. Haven't you had enough time to think?"

"I—I don't know. It seems like everyone wants me to be something, or expects something from me. I'm tired of being seen like a little girl who doesn't know what she wants." Belle huffed.

"Well, would you be opposed to going to the Christmas Eve party with me? No pressure, and no expectations." Rumpel smiled, which somehow gave him a warm, cute appearance.

"Wait. Why did you ask Red to talk to me about you?"

"Because I've missed you, Belle. And if I'm not mistaken, she is the one you should be mad at. She only got close to you to keep you away from me. She was manipulating you." Rumpel smirked.

Belle sighed. "Okay, I'll go to the party with you. But just as friends."

"Of course, just as friends."

Rumpelstiltskin left the library, practically elated. He was so close to getting what he wanted, he could almost taste it. It was beautiful how Red had managed to play right into his hands. Everything was falling into place, and by Christmas, he was sure Belle would be his again.

Or so he thought.

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Red smiled as Emma walked into the diner, wearing a Santa hat, with Henry close behind her. Regina hadn't been invited, for the obvious reasons. Henry was wearing elf ears; they looked really cute on him. Granny was playing Jethro Tull in the background, adept at working Red's ipod.

"Hey Ruby!" Henry called.

Red smiled. She was glad he knew that she liked that name better. Naming someone a color was a little…eccentric, though it worked for Pink, Red supposed. She didn't care that much, Belle called her Red and that was fine.

Speaking of Belle, where was she? Red sighed and busied her hands with tying the last bows on the holly spread throughout the diner. She had made a huge mistake with Belle, she knew. Now the librarian was mad at her and would probably never talk to her again. If she did, it would never be the same. What if she ran back to the arms of Rumpel, and it was all her fault? Red heard a the ding of bells on the door and turned to see who was coming in. Her breath caught in her lungs as her eyes caught the image before her.

Belle had on this clingy black dress, and red high heels. Her hair was put up in a curly bun, and her eyelashes were laced with the tiniest bit of mascara. She was positively radiant, and Red could feel the air getting sucked out of the room. Nothing else mattered, everything else just fell away when she saw Belle.

Okay. She couldn't deny she was totally falling for Belle. That was just great. When the tunnel vision dissipated, she noticed someone on Belle's arm, and it was all she could do to not revert into wolf mode and start howling in anger. Rumpelstiltskin was beside her, smirking like he was king of the universe. This whole night was going to be pure torture.

The mistletoe was hung in 3 corners of the diner: one was by the bathrooms, one next to the booth in the far left corner, and one next to the door. Red knew the tradition of mistletoe, and she just made extra careful to not be standing under it if Grumpy or any other horny man was close to her. They would make any excuse to lay one on her. It wasn't hard to stay away from Belle, because for she was flanked by Rumpel, and the werewolf didn't want to get anywhere near him. She spent most of the night with Emma, Henry, Snow and Charming, because at least paying attention to their drama was a break from her own.

"Snow—Mom, I just don't understand why no one wanted to invite her! She's changing and making an effort to redeem herself! Why don't you give her a chance?" Emma huffed and hugged Henry close to her, as if to make a point that Henry wanted his other mom there. At least she hoped he did.

"Emma, do you think I'm blind? I know why you want her here."

Emma frowned. "What the hell—"

Red interrupted, tired of this whole charade. "Emma, you like Regina, for Christ's sake, just admit it to yourself already!" She ignored the scandalized look on Henry's face and plowed on. "And Snow, your daughter's a lesbian, get over it. I have had enough of your guys' fucked up drama, and I'm kind of going through some stuff of my own. So I'm asking, for one night, if we could focus on something other than you." Red breathed, feeling her cheeks warm up and her breathing get ragged. Ruby, the old Ruby, was used to speaking her mind, but apparently Red had to work a little harder.

Emma nodded, stepping close to the brunette. "Sorry, Rubes. I guess we just get carried away with our own stuff. Are you doing okay?"

Red nodded. "Yeah, I guess. It's just that Belle won't talk to me, and now she's at this party with Rumpel."

James nodded. "Sorry, Red, that's got to be hard."

Red nodded, and looked over at Belle, who was laughing at something Granny said. Rumpel wasn't over there at this moment, so Red decided to take a chance. She excused herself and walked over to Belle, getting more unsure with every step. What if she was still really mad at her? What if she thought that all Belle wanted was to keep her away from Gold? She was too nice to just walk away, right? Hopefully she would give her a chance to explain herself.

So when Red got to Belle, she was ready to make a huge speech about how she was sorry, and how Belle could date whoever she wanted to, but something entirely different happened. Something that Red never would have expected.

Belle didn't give Red a chance to speak. She simply stepped close to her, way too close. Before the brunette could think, Belle took her face in her hands and kissed her. Red immediately stepped back in shock, but Belle didn't let her get away that easily. She wrapped her arms around her, stroking her hair with her hands. This was becoming a full on make out session, one that Red was starting to enjoy. She had no idea what had come over Belle, but it was nice. She put her hands on Belle's face, tracing her jawline with her fingers. Her eyes closed and she relaxed into Belle's scent, Belle's mouth, Belle's whole being. Everyone else in the room was staring at them, to be sure, but none of them mattered.

Then reality hit.

Belle stepped back, as if recovering from a magic spell. Coming to her senses, she looked up, seeing the mistletoe.

"Oh." Belle had no idea what else to say.

Red cleared her throat. "Granny, is this mistletoe magical or something?"

Everyone in the room tried to look like they weren't staring at the two women making out, but they failed. Considerably. Granny, to relieve the tension, immediately started taking down the overhanging plants.

"I suppose it could be. Magic is strange here anyway. That might be why…that…just happened."

Red sighed. This party really had sucked.

**Well, here is an update for you all! Happy Holidays! **

**I'm kind of on a roll, so I'll probably write another chapter really soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

Belle tried to put as much distance between her and Ruby as possible after that. For the rest of the party, she made sure that she was surrounded by people. She didn't want to talk about what happened. She had no idea why she had pretty much French kissed Red in front of the whole town; it was just too embarrassing to think about. The really weird thing was she liked it.

Granny had told her that it was probably just a side effect of the mistletoe; it was magical, after all. So that explained why Belle had kissed Red, but it didn't explain why she had enjoyed it. Red's lips had been so soft and pliable as they had moved against hers. Kissing Rumpel didn't even come close. Belle bit her lip at the memory and downed some egg nog, trying to get her mind off of it. She had no idea how to deal with feelings like these, so the best thing to do was to ignore them.

Red snuck up behind her, surprising her so much that half of the nog she was drinking spilled out onto the front of her black dress.

"Oh dear…" Belle gasped. This dress had costed more than she cared to admit, and now she was standing in it in front of the woman she had just made out with (albeit under the influence of magic) only a half hour earlier.

"Crap, I'm so sorry I startled you…" Red hurriedly grabbed some paper napkins from the counter and began to wipe Belle's stomach—and breasts, because unfortunately some of the egg nog had gotten there too. It seemed to be Red's night for awkward situations.

"It's fine…I think it's mostly off now."

Red stopped wiping and looked at Belle, like she had a lot to say. "Listen, Belle, about...the mistletoe…I think we should talk—"

"It was magic—I mean I just got carried away from the magic. Nothing more to say about it." Belle tried not to sound nervous, but she prayed that Red would just drop it.

Which she didn't. "I know you think that I was just getting close to you to keep you away from Gold, but that's not true. I like _you_ as a person. I don't expect anything from you—I just want you to be yourself, and not feel like you have to put on a mask for me. I want to be your friend, if you'll let me." Red smiled placed her right hand on the counter, leaning against it.

Belle had listened to this speech, and by the end, she couldn't deny that Red was being honest. She was a safe person to be with—she was a good friend, and Belle should have seen that sooner.

"Okay, Ruby, we can be friends."

Red plastered on a smile, telling herself to be grateful. The words 'we can be friends' are where all hope of romance goes to die. Which was okay, because, as she kept telling herself, she was on a cleanse.

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Granny watched Ruby mop the floors, actually paying attention to her work for once. Something was wrong, she knew. Ever since the Christmas Eve party, her granddaughter had been distant and pensive, which wasn't like her. Granny and Red had been getting closer, so much so that Granny could almost sense what mood she was in at any given time. But lately, it was hard to tell what was going on with Ruby.

Maybe it was time to do something about that. She knew asking her would do no good, so talking to the person who it all started with would be better. She mumbled something to Ruby about going out, but she doubted the girl paid much attention. She pushed the door open and made haste, over to the library.

Belle had been staying at Granny's B&B, which was a couple blocks from the diner, but Granny knew she spent most of her time at the library, because Red kept saying how much Belle loved books. She crossed the street, not paying attention to the DON'T WALK sign. Not that the townspeople didn't drive cars, but since they discovered that they couldn't leave Storybrooke, there wasn't much point in using gas when everything was in a 2 mile radius. Still, Granny looked right and left as she was made her way to where Belle was, so she could fix this problem once and for all.

Her glasses fogged up as she entered the warm building, shaking off the cold. She was thankful for the heat, and took off her glasses to wipe them. As she was doing this, Belle walked up to the reference desk.

"Hello, Granny. How can I help you today?"

"Hi. I actually came here to talk to you. You know that—incident a week ago? Well, ever since, Red's been acting weird. Even for her."

"Really? What do you mean?" Belle looked down, immediately desperate for something to do with her hands, because she didn't really want to have this conversation—with Red's grandmother, of all people.

"She—she _cleaned _today. The whole diner, from top to bottom. Without me asking her."

Belle chuckled. "And I guess that's unusual behavior?"

"Yes. I'm just going to be frank here. You made out with my granddaughter." Belle opened her mouth, but Granny held up her hand. "I know, it was an accident, magic, and unwarranted. But I think—" Granny leaned forward. "I think you need to talk with her about it. Will you do that for me, Belle?"

"So Red stops cleaning?"

"Yes. While it's nice, I like the irresponsible Ruby better. But never tell her I said that."

Granny left the library, sure that she did a good thing. At least she hoped so.

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Rumpelstiltskin didn't know how he was going to get Belle back now. He had seen the unfortunate incident at the diner on Christmas Eve, and it had proven to be a little humiliating. He had taken Belle to the party, for God's sake, and then she goes and kisses someone else? Red Riding Hood was proving to be more competition than he thought. Maybe it was time to cash in on the favor Miss Swan owed him. If this sabotage was going to work, it would have to be subtle. This would take the skill of a professional artist. Which, if he could be so bold to say, he was.

He showed up at Emma's current place of residence—Snow's old apartment. Emma now lived there with both her parents and Henry. It was a place Rumpel normally wouldn't be caught dead in, but he was desperate. He knocked on the door with his cane, and the door was opened moments later by Snow White, who didn't look too pleased to see him. He smiled nonetheless and asked to see Emma.

"Snow, we're out of milk—shit, Gold, what are you doing here?" Emma was walking down the stairs, wearing a white tank top. Thankfully she had remembered to put on some pants.

"Hello, Miss Swan. I believe we agreed some months ago that you owed me a favor. It just so happens I want to bank in on that now."

Emma sighed. "Okay, fine. Blow job or hand job?"

"Emma!" Snow whirled her head around. "Henry is just in the other room!"

"Why is it whenever I ask for something, everyone assumes it's either about sexual favors or money?" Gold asked, though it was meant as a more rhetorical question.

"Because you're a creepy, perverted bastard?" Emma smirked. "Just a guess."

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Red had no idea why all of a sudden, Emma had asked to meet her. In a theater. Alone. No one ever came to the rundown theater—especially this late at night. Ruby looked at her watch. It was 11:30. Ruby parked her car in one of the lots; it was way too cold to walk anywhere now. She hurried into the building and shook the snow off of her boots—there was probably about 3 inches on the ground.

She found Emma in the lobby, waiting for her. Before she could ask what the hell was going on, Emma began to speak.

"I…uh, I'm supposed to take you out on a date." Emma frowned, knowing it sounded a lot less stupid in her head.

Ruby smirked. "Who put you up to this? I thought you were in love with Regina."

Emma stepped back. "I'm not—we're not—oh whatever…that's not the point. Gold asked me to do this. Not sure why, don't care to know."

"I already know why. To keep me from Belle. He thinks something's going on between us, and of course he wants to keep the odds in his favor."

"And is there? Something going on?"

"Well, you're the expert in denial, so I guess if I lied to you you'd be able to tell. Yeah, there kind of is. I mean, you were at Christmas Eve party. When she kissed me, it was like—angels singing. She's a really good kisser." Ruby shivered as she remembered just how Belle had taken total control, and taken her completely by surprise. Normally, Red hated surprises, but that one? No, that one she could live with.

"Okay, okay. I don't need to hear anymore. Just promise me you'll get her so that Gold doesn't send me out on any more dates with you. Not that this hasn't been fun, but I think we both know we're in love with different people." Emma squeezed her friend's arm playfully.

"Actually, maybe Gold had the right idea…"

Emma looked at Ruby, curious.

"We could pretend we are dating. Just to see how Belle will react to it, and use Gold's plan against him. I mean, you know, see if she gets jealous or whatever."

"So you want to use me now?" Emma faked offense. "Besides, Regina will probably shoot me dead if she sees us together. You wouldn't know it, but she is the jealous type."

Red rolled her eyes. "Just explain to her that it's not real. Please, Emma, do this one thing for me." Red put on her best puppy dog eyes.

So of course Emma caved.

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Belle decided to talk to Red, after all, just to see if there was any truth to what Granny had said about her acting different. For the past couple of days, she had just been going through the motions, unsure of how to deal with anyone. Rumpel hadn't bothered her, which was good. She knew if this kept up, she would just become a shut-in, and that wasn't a healthy option for dealing with whatever was going on.

She walked up to the diner and raised her hand to open the door, when she saw Emma through the window, leaning across the counter. She pecked Ruby's lips, and Ruby smiled. Belle saw this, then this intense overwhelming heat flooded her whole system. She could barely stand—it was like someone hit her in the stomach with a brick. She quickly walked away, not sure what was going on. The she realized—she couldn't deny her feelings anymore.

She was jealous.


	4. Chapter 4

It was getting really cold. There was snow on the ground, and when New Year's Eve came and went, the townspeople were actually getting hopeful about it. They still all wanted to go home, even though the comforts of the modern world were nice. Health care being one that Granny was definitely grateful for—this new stuff called ibuprofen worked wonders for her back. In the spirit of forgiveness, the townspeople let up on their attitude towards Regina, so she could come out of her house without expecting to be attacked, or threatened. But that didn't stop her from attacking a certain Sherriff (Emma had been reinstated since her return).

Regina stacked the plates on the counter, not daring to look at the blonde, who was explaining the arrangement she had made with Ruby—how she was pretending to date her to make Belle jealous. Regina scoffed when she heard this. She had no interest in the inconsequential lives of Belle and Red, and she opened her mouth to say this. But then she thought—if Red was with Belle, that would mean Rumpelstilitskin wouldn't have her. And that made Regina happy. Anything that made Gold suffer usually did.

She placed the plates on shelf. "Fine, Miss Swan. You have made yourself perfectly clear. But suffer no delusions: as long as you are 'fake dating' that werewolf, you won't be welcome—in my bed…late at night."

Emma slumped over. "Come on, Regina! It's not like I'm having sex with her! All we've done is kiss in public a few times-"

That did nothing to sate Regina. "You've kissed this woman?"

"Well yeah…" Emma trailed off. That was the wrong thing to say. _The things I do for you, Rubes. _ Now thanks to her, she'd have to go without, at least until Belle came to her senses and realized that Ruby was perfect for her. Which better be soon.

Henry was put to bed at 10:00, and Emma went back to her apartment. She clutched the keys in her hand, whistling. The air was crisp and cold, which made Emma thankful that she had a warm apartment to go to, even though it was a little crowded now. If she had to hear Mary Margaret—Snow—her mom…God this was just too confusing. But if she had to hear David and Mary having sex again in the middle of the night, she would pack her bags and move somewhere else. Probably to Regina's…Emma pushed open the door and kicked her boots off. She put her keys on the table next to the door and saw Ruby sitting on the couch.

"Oh, Hey, Rubes, what's up?"

Red cracked her knuckles. "Snow let me in…sorry it's late. I just…I needed to talk to you about something."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Well, you know I'm—a skin changer. A werewolf, child of the moon, or whatever you want to call it…anyway, the week before the full moon, I get a little…horny. I mean, like, really bad. And January is the month of the full wolf moon, which makes it even worse."

Emma snorted. "Okay…so why is this important?"

"You don't get it. If I get anywhere near Belle, I'll just do what I did at the Christmas Eve party all over again."

"You know that wasn't your fault—"

"That doesn't matter, I can't risk it. There's no telling what I'd do to Belle if I see her. I'll probably jump on her like a trampoline."

Emma burst out laughing, leaving a very serious looking Red sitting on the couch, with her arms folded. After Emma laughed so much that her stomach muscles ached, Ruby smacked her arm in frustration.

"Emma, this is serious. How can you call yourself my fake girlfriend if you're not willing to stop me from having sex with another woman?"

Emma frowned. "Yeah, about that. I think maybe I should just let you go all wolf crazy on Belle, because Regina told me that as long as we're 'dating,' she and I can't…you know…"

Red groaned. "Damn it. I had no idea you'd be this high maintenance."

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Grumpy frowned as he saw Red and Emma walking up to the opening of the mines. He and the 5 other dwarves—Sneezy had unfortunately lost his memory—had been working at the mines, digging for gold and diamonds, because that was the only life they knew. So far, they hadn't found anything other than coal, but dwarves were tireless workers. He also worked to keep his mind off of Asterid, who had been swarming his thoughts ever since the curse broke. But she was a nun in this world, which totally sucked.

Grumpy lived up to his name. He frowned at the two women approaching the mines, ready to tell them to leave the dwarves to their work. Before he could get a word in, Red started babbling about how she needed him to trap her in the mines for a week—something about protecting Belle. Grumpy laughed at that.

"I can't trap you in these mines—it's a safety hazard. Have you gone insane or something, Red?"

Emma came to her defense. "Hey, back off, Leroy, she's just shaken up about it being her time of the month." Emma smirked and earned a hit on the arm from Red.

"Don't call it that! This is serious! Why doesn't anyone understand that this is a HUGE deal?"

Grumpy raised his eyerbrows. "Geez, Red, calm down. Your wolfstime won't be for another two weeks. Why are you…"

He stopped talking because Red had suddenly jumped on Emma, tackling her to the ground. Before Emma could think, Ruby began smothering her with kisses, trailing a line of them down her neck. Neither Emma nor Grumpy moved for a moment, both taken by complete shock. Emma came to her senses and realized that it was happening. This was what Red meant by 'horny.'

"Grumpy, help get her off of me."

Grumpy reluctantly pulled Red off of the blonde, dusting her off. Red seemed to recover quickly, and immediately apologized.

"No, it's okay." Emma waved it off. "Let's just make sure that it doesn't happen again."

Grumpy groaned.

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Belle had moved to her dad's house on January 13, and he was glad to have her home. He really was a sweet man, and Belle had missed him. She brought him to the library some days, because he shared her love of literature. He would sit there and read, while Belle was rearranging books and movies. Belle didn't tell her dad that one of the reasons she had decided to move in with him was because staying at Granny's was getting slightly uncomfortable. She couldn't avoid Red; it was inevitable that they would run into each other, because Red was one of the housekeepers at the B&B. But one thing Belle could not stand was seeing Emma and Red together. Whenever she did, that feeling of something boiling in the pit of her stomach would return. She would get red in the face, and find it hard to breathe, or focus on anything, really. It was so intense, that it was getting exhausting.

So Belle decided to move out, just so she wouldn't have to be tortured by seeing Red kiss someone else. Someone who wasn't her. It was just excruciating. The need to be near Red, to even just see her was something she couldn't battle on her own. Thankfully, her dad was a good distraction. She looked over at him. He was reading _The Other Boleyn Girl_, and from the looks of it, he was totally wrapped up in it. She smiled.

Her dad put the book down. "Belle, dear, I'm getting hungry. I think it's time we go to Granny's, and I can try one of those hamburgers you keep talking about."

Belle's smile dropped from her face. "No, I'm not hungry. But you can go."

Mr. French stood up. "Since when did you not like hamburgers?"

"I…I just don't want to go over there. It's cold outside." Belle sighed. How many more lame excuses could she pull out of her ass? It was getting ridiculous. "Fine, I'll go with you."

Mr. French smiled, pulling his coat off the hook and shrugging into it. He opened the door for his daughter, and they both stepped out into the cold. There were 4 inches of snow on the ground, and it was beautiful. Belle breathed in the invigorating winter air, hoping like hell that Ruby wasn't there.

But she was, and what was worse, she didn't look too good. Belle noticed she looked kind of…wild. Her hair wasn't combed, and her apron was thrown on haphazardly. She was working, but her heart wasn't in it. She was jumpy and excitable, Belle could tell. She sat in one of the booths with her dad and waited for Red or Granny to take their order.

Red walked up to them. "Hi, what'll it be?" Her voice was strained, almost like she was holding something back.

"2 hamburgers, and 2 iced teas." Belle answered. "You have to try the iced teas, father."

"Yeah, they're really good." Red muttered distractedly. "Okay, I'll get that for you in probably 10 or 15 minutes." Red walked away—it had taken an insane amount of effort to restrain herself from Belle. Belle had an overwhelming scent—like honey and lilacs—and around this time, the werewolf's senses were sharpened to it. The wolf's time was not treating her well. Granny had given her some calming poultice, which contained copious amounts of whiskey.

Belle made her way up to the counter. "Hey, Red, is everything okay?"

Red slung a dishcloth over her shoulder. "Yeah, perfect. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you just seem…distracted. Is it your wolf's time soon?"

Red nodded. Why did Belle have to be so smart. "Yeah. It's next week. But the week before, I get really weird urges that I can't control. Which is why you should leave."

"What?"

"God, you don't even realize it, do you? How much you torture me?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Belle answered before her brain could censor her words.

"What do you mean?"

"You're dating Emma. 2 weeks after you kissed me at the Christmas party, you decide to get a new girlfriend, and I have to watch it. I have to see you on the arm of a beautiful blonde sheriff, when the whole time—" Belle stopped. "You know what? This was a bad idea."

Before Red could say anything, Belle went to the booth, grabbed her coat, and left. Her dad was left there, wondering what the hell had happened. Urgently, Ruby grabbed her coat and ran out the door, determined to find Belle. She felt cold flakes fall on her skin. She sniffed, following the trail that Belle's scent left. She couldn't get far. Red found her on the corner of Tulle and Main, and called out for her. But she didn't stop. Red had to lope in front of her and circle back.

She came to a stop in front of Belle, and held up her hands in front of her. Belle looked really pissed, which was a new look for her. Usually she was subdued, and calm. Red would be lying if seeing her mad wasn't the least bit arousing.

"Belle, what were you going to say? Back in the diner?"

Belle tried to sidestep Ruby, but it was futile. Ruby had the instincts of an animal, after all. She could trap her prey easily.

"I don't see why it's important. You're dating someone else, anyway."

"Not anymore. Emma and I broke up." Ruby stepped closer to Belle, gingerly reaching out to stroke her hair with the back of her hand. "She's in love with someone else…and so am I."

Belle smiled, showing all of her teeth. Her green eyes sparkled and she couldn't help but feel invincible at those words. "So much for your cleanse."

Ruby laughed. "Yeah." Red leant in close to Belle, feeling her breath on her face. Snowflakes were coming down harder and harder now. But Belle felt so warm encircled in Red's arms that she didn't even notice. She closed her eyes and Red's lips touched hers. Belle opened her mouth after a few seconds, inviting Red to do the same. They moved to the rhythm of each other's breath, knowing that if they broke apart it would be too soon.

Belle finally leant back, breathing hard. "So…do you want to go on a date with me sometime?"

Red smiled. "Absolutely."

**Well there it is, everyone! I think this is a good place to end, but I might make a sequel. The sad thing about this couple is they are not near as popular as I'd like them to be. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it's encouraging that you like this couple!**

**Also, as a side note: I ship Red with pretty much every one in Storybrooke. So if you have a prompt for me for Red/anyone, message me and I'll see if I can write it! This was a REALLY fun story to write, Ruby is such a cool character.**


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